Living in space

Alexander Gerst

Personal data

Alexander Gerst was born in Künzelsau, Germany, on 3 May 1976. His favourite sports are fencing, swimming and running. He especially enjoys outdoor activities such as skydiving, snowboarding, hiking, mountaineering, climbing and scuba diving.

Education

Alexander graduated from the Technical High School in Öhringen, Germany, in 1995.

In 2003 he received a diploma in geophysics from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and a master’s degree in Earth sciences from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Both degrees were awarded with distinction.

In 2010 Alex graduated with a Doctorate in Natural Sciences at the Institute of Geophysics of the University of Hamburg, Germany. His dissertation was on geophysics and volcanic eruption dynamics.

Organisations

Alexander is a member of

The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI)

The German Geophysical Society (DGG)

The European Geosciences Union (EGU)

The European Volcanological Society (SVE)

The American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Experience

During school, Alex volunteered as a boy scout leader, fire-fighter and water rescue lifeguard. As a student, from 1998 to 2003 he participated in various international scientific collaborations and field experiments. Several of these expeditions led him to remote locations such as Antarctica where he installed scientific instruments.

From 2001 to 2003, researching his master’s thesis on a volcano in New Zealand, Alex developed new volcano monitoring techniques that might improve forecasts of volcanic eruptions. The results were published in Science Magazine.

Alexander worked on developing scientific instruments at the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Hamburg between 2004 and 2009.

From 2005 to 2009, whilst at the Institute of Geophysics, he also worked towards his doctorate, investigating volcanic eruption dynamics on active volcanoes. His research goal was to determine the mechanics and the energy released during the first seconds of a volcanic eruption. His research led him to visit volcanoes on all continents, concentrating on an active volcano in Antarctica. In 2007 Alexander received the Bernd Rendel award for outstanding research from the DFG German Research Foundation.

Alexander was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. He joined ESA in September 2009 and completed Astronaut Basic Training in November 2010.

In September 2011, Alexander was assigned to fly to the International Space Station on a six-month mission. He served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 40 and 41. He was launched on a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in May 2014 and returned to Earth in November 2014. His comprehensive research programme included a wide variety of European and international science experiments as part of his six-month Blue Dot mission.

Related articles

Alexander’s rollercoaster ride from space to Germany06 November 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has spent almost six months on the International Space Station running experiments and maintaining the weightless research outpost with his crewmates. After landing in Kazakhstan, he will become ESA’s first astronaut to r...

Alexander Gerst set for spacewalk03 October 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has spent four months in the relative safety of the International Space Station but on Tuesday he will venture into open space with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman on a seven-hour spacewalk.

Spot the Space Station looking at you01 July 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and five astronauts from America and Russia are flying on the International Space Station 400 km above us – but did you know they are sharing live views of our planet and you can even see their home at night?

Science and spacewalks on Space Station20 June 2014
Three weeks into ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst’s Blue Dot mission on the International Space Station and the new arrival is now spending more time on scientific research in the microgravity laboratory.

Alexander’s first week in space05 June 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has now spent a week in space on the International Space Station. As he grows accustomed to floating in weightlessness, he has been busy learning about his new home, taking over experiments, drawing blood, keeping fit and...

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst arrives at Space Station29 May 2014
A Soyuz spacecraft launched last night from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan docked with the International Space Station in the early hours of this morning. Onboard were ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and his Expedition 40/41 crewmates, who will...

Expedition 40 all set to go26 May 2014
From unusual training to upholding cherished traditions, everything is being done to ensure that ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and his crewmates arrive at the International Space Station on Thursday safely and in good health – including being flipped...

Munich to Alexander: all systems go22 May 2014
An atmosphere of rising excitement can be sensed in the control centre: everything is ready for ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst’s voyage to the International Space Station blasting off next Wednesday.

Alexander Gerst ready for orbit09 May 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst and crewmates Roscosmos cosmonaut Maxim Suraev and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman have passed their final qualification exam – they are now ready for their trip to the International Space Station on 28 May.

Ask astronaut Alexander anything11 March 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst is all set for his Blue Dot mission to the International Space Station in May. Crewmates Reid Wiseman and Maxim Surayev will hold a media conference on Tuesday 18 March and ESA is inviting you to ask questions via Twitter.

Inside astronaut Alexander’s head 17 February 2014
The clock is ticking: in 100 days ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst will be launched to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and cosmonaut commander Maxim Surayev.

Announcing Blue Dot mission logo22 September 2013
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst is set for a six-month stay on the International Space Station in 2014. His mission came one step closer today when the mission patch was revealed at the European Astronaut Centre during German Space Day in Cologne, Germa...